From Publishers Weekly (A starred review)
“What can a 16th-century priest tell a 21st-century business executive about leadership? Plenty, believes this author, who points out that from a 10-man “company” founded by St. Ignatius Loyola in 1540, the Jesuits are now the world’s largest religious order, with 21,000 professionals. In this absorbing, lucid book, Lowney, who left a seven-year stint as a Jesuit seminarian to become a managing director at J.P. Morgan, explores how the Jesuits have successfully grappled with challenges that test great companies-forging seamless multinational teams, motivating performance, being open to change and staying adaptable. As he takes the reader on an engaging romp through slices of Jesuit history, Lowney references four Jesuit pillars of success: self-awareness (reflection), ingenuity (embracing change), love (positive attitudes toward others) and heroism (energizing ambitions). Despite the emphasis on the four pillars, this is no formulaic “12-steps-to-success” tome. Rather than focusing on what leaders do, Lowney shows how the Jesuit approach focuses on who leaders are. His conversational voice draws the reader in as he unfolds leadership lessons from some unlikely Jesuit role models, including explorer Benedetto de Goes, linguist Matteo Ricci and mathematician and astronomer Christopher Clavius. Lowney’s passion for history is appealing, and he is careful not to sugarcoat his historical role models. Professionals looking for a One-Minute type of business book won’t find it here, but more reflective businesspeople of faith will find Lowney’s insights a breath of fresh air.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Praise for Heroic Leadership
“Entertaining and well researched, this is a must-read for any business leader, and an inspirational read for anyone who wants to be a better human being.”
– Walter Gubert, Chairman of the investment bank, J. P. Morgan Chase
“Lowney does a wonderfully engaging job of making clear the connections between our current leadership challenges and the principles employed so effectively by the Jesuits.”
– Edward J. Kelly III, President and CEO, Mercantile Bankshares Corporation
“This 450-year-old institution [seems] as current today as it was four centuries ago. Lowney shows us how every employee can and should be a leader and that love-driven leadership does work.”
– Richard K. Green, President and COO, Blistex, Inc.
“With our renewed focus on sustainable growth, Lowney’s book comes at the right time, not providing recipes for becoming a leader but guiding us along the Jesuit principles to turn us into leaders.”
– Peter Woicke, Executive Vice President, International Finance Corporation
“In this day of Enrons and Tycos, there is a need to reexamine corporate values. Heroic Leadership gives the leader food for thought. The sections on love and heroism are truly energizing.”
– Jack F. Galbraith, President and CEO, Catholic Medical Mission Board
“I am confident that I would have been a far more effective leader if I had read Heroic Leadership years ago. Highly recommended!”
– Ron Burkard, Executive Director, World Neighbors
“As Asia surges forward, its managers are realizing that shallow leadership checklists and flashy management slogans from the West do not always work. Heroic Leadership sets out four key principles of whole-person leadership that . . . can be applied across cultures and geographies. . . . [A]n enlightening reference for those seeking to unlock leadership potential in themselves and in others.”
– Jackson Tai, Chief Executive Officer, Development Bank of Singapore
“Although skeptical at first, I have been convinced by the author of this provocative book that the Jesuits have something unique and profound to offer . . . [to] those of us trying to operate a business that is both successful and true to our deepest values and convictions.”
– Gregory F. Augustine Pierce, Author, President and Copublisher, ACTA Publications
Cofounder, Business Leaders for Excellence, Ethics, and Justice
“Heroic Leadership advances a leadership unafraid to put love at the center. This is a lively, witty book about profound matters.”
– James N. Loughran, S.J., President, Saint Peter’s College
“With a light touch and fine writing, Chris Lowney brings the sixteenth century into the twenty-first. Presidents of both colleges and corporations can apply this text extensively to their own worlds with great profit.”
– Charles J. Bierne, S.J., President, LeMoyne College
“This informative, fascinating book tells how Jesuits, over 450 years, produced both outstanding individual leaders and a culture of leadership. This is a book to be enjoyed, pondered, and put into practice.”
– John W. Padberg, S.J., Director, Institute of Jesuit Sources
“A wonderfully stimulating book for those interested in forging closer links between their Christian faith and a business vocation.”
– William J. Byron, S.J., Author, Jesuit Saturdays
